Solid-state imaging devices are mounted in digital cameras. Therefore, there are lots of such cameras that a through image (live view image) of a subject outputted from a solid-state imaging device is displayed on a liquid crystal display panel or the like provided in the back of the camera or the like so that the liquid crystal display panel or the like is used as a finder device.
When compositional arrangement of a subject or the like is to be confirmed on the liquid crystal display panel provided in the back of the camera, it is difficult to watch the liquid crystal display panel itself if ambient light in the surroundings is too bright. It is therefore preferable that whether ambient light is bright or not, is detected by a sensor, and that the backlight of the liquid crystal display panel is controlled in accordance with the brightness of the ambient light in the surroundings, for example, as described in Patent Literature 1.
When the liquid crystal display panel in the back of the camera is used as a substitute for a finder, it is impossible to confirm an image of a subject unless the camera is kept away from a face (eye) to watch the subject. Accordingly, the compositional arrangement of the subject is confirmed in a state where the camera is kept away from the face. A shutter button has to be pushed down in this state. However, when a photographer takes up such a posture to take a photograph, a camera shake occurs. Therefore, an optical view finder device is mounted in Patent Literature 1.
There are lots of digital cameras equipped with electronic view finder devices instead of the optical view finder devices. Such an electronic view finder device has a small-size display panel installed in a finder so that a through image outputted from a solid-state imaging device is displayed on the display panel. For this reason, the subject image can be confirmed without being influenced by ambient light in the surroundings and the shutter button can be pushed down while the subject image is confirmed in the finder (that is, the finder of the camera is pressed against the face). Accordingly, there is an advantage that the camera shake hardly occurs.
In the electronic view finder device according to the background art, a photographer side view window of the finder is blocked by a user's eye to reduce the amount of ambient light entering the inside when an image in the finder is confirmed by the user. For this reason, an image always with predetermined brightness (e.g. 2000 Lx) is displayed in the electronic view finder device according to the background art. However, when the photographer views the image with such brightness in the finder, the photographer may be dazzled to make it difficult to visually recognize the image because the pupil of the photographer's eye cannot change quickly enough in accordance with the brightness of ambient light in the surroundings before viewing.
In the electronic view finder device according to the background art, the display panel mounted in the inside is so small in size that only rough images can be displayed. There is another problem that detailed portions of the compositional arrangement of the subject cannot be confirmed. Moreover, because the through image is displayed, it takes time for image processing. There is a further problem that a little time lag occurs compared with the actual state of the subject.
In addition, among camera fans, there are a lot of voices for demanding mounting of the optical view finder. Therefore, a digital camera equipped with a hybrid finder device, for example, as described in the following Patent Literatures 2 and 3 has been considered.
When a hybrid finder device is mounted in a digital camera, one of an optical view finder (hereinafter also referred to as OVF) and an electronic view finder (hereinafter also referred to as EVF) is switched over to the other so that a subject image is displayed in the common finder or imaging condition information, etc. displayed in the electronic view finder is displayed so as to be superposed on the optical image of the subject via the optical view finder.
In this case, the optical image of the subject via the optical view finder changes in accordance with the brightness of ambient light in the surroundings. Accordingly, when the optical image of the subject is switched to an image in the electronic view finder or inversely the image in the electronic view finder is switched to that in the optical view finder or when the two are displayed so as to be superposed on each other, there is a possibility that the pupil of the photographer's eye cannot change quickly enough so that the photographer may be dazzled to make it difficult to visually recognize the image.